Red Dawn (2012)

Number Rolled: 70

Movie Name/Year: Red Dawn (2012)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Length: 93 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Director: Dan Bradley

Writer: Carl Ellsworth, Jeremy Passmore, Kevin Reynolds, John Milius

Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise, Edwin Hodge, Brett Cullen, Alyssa Diaz, Julian Alcarez, Will Yun Lee, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Fernando Chien, Kenneth Choi, Matt Gerald, Michael A. Knight, Steve Lenz, Noah Smith, Michael Beach

After losing the big football game, Wolverines player (Matt Eckert) goes out with some friends, then hits the hay. Tremors wake him out of a dead sleep and he finds bombs and paratroopers falling from the sky. Chaos breaks out as North Korean forces begin to take over his suburban American town. In an effort to save his brother, Jed Eckert follows his father’s wishes and gets Matt, and some of their friends, as far away as possible. After witnessing the destruction and murder of their loved ones, however, the seed of rebellion is planted within them.

The original “Red Dawn” (1984) was one of the most spectacular action & adventure movies out there. Working off the current events of its time, it showed that America was not invincible and had certain vulnerabilities that were difficult to ignore. However, a teenager or young adult watching the movie now would find it a little out there. When you have a movie like that based around the technologies and current events of a specific time, the next generation (having different circumstances) is less likely to relate to the issues the movie works around. There are a lot of remakes I find to be unnecessary and even damning to the story its working off of, “Red Dawn” is not one of them.

This was the perfect movie to remake, however, I would call it a reboot instead. I liked the original film, but I didn’t relate to it. The reboot, however, changed Russia to North Korea, Cuban reinforcements to the Spetsnaz and nukes to EMP bombs. The result is something so close to actual foreign news that it is utterly terrifying. It pulls a knot of dread into your chest and forces you to see the terrifying reality of what World War III could be; which is exactly what it was going for in both versions.

The reason I call it a reboot instead of a remake is because they not brought the minor details into the 21rst century, but the story is also moderately different. The core characters are the same, but there are others added, and the script takes things in unexpected directions. I don’t like this version better than the original, but I don’t like the original better either. There’s a difference to it that keeps me from fully comparing the two. I love that. Reboots can get old because we know how the story ends and where it’s going. This one doesn’t let the story get old, in fact, it keeps you feeling that same gripping dread as the first one did.

Absolutely fantastic reboot. Absolutely amazing movie. Absolutely terrifying.

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 4.3/5

Overall Opinion – 5/5

Movie Trailer: